Wanderer
by TheLonelyTrainer
Summary: Ash always dreamed of exploring Kanto with a Charmander at his side. But, life doesn't always go to plan, and our hero finds himself trekking through the Sinnoh region with a different dragon...


A/N- After reading so many good stories, I've decided to try and make my own attempt at it! All feedback is appreciated as I want to constantly improve my writing! Hope you enjoy!

It'd be a new start, one away from Kanto, and Ash wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for it. The moving van chugged along slowly, and he was sat amongst the furniture and expensive equipment, feeling every bump the the truck passed over. His mother had apologised when she'd first told him he'd be going inside the moving truck, but he didn't really mind.

A dark shadow jumped into his lap and curled up into a ball on top of him. Ash grinned, stroking the feline that mewled in his lap.

At least his mother had let him stay with her persian to keep him company. The feline was always good company, and it seemed content to simply lay with him in the darkness.

*CLUNK* *CLUNK*

The moving van started to slow down, hitting a few more bumps as it did so, sliding Ash across the sofa and startling the normal type in his lap. Persian hissed before slinking off into the darkness once more.

"Sorry!" Ash shouted out into the darkness to his companion. If it heard him the normal type didn't care to acknowledge it, and Ash slunk back down into the sofa.

*CLUNK*

The van hit one more bump before grinding to a halt. Ash groaned and began to stretch, the journey had been over quicker than he'd expected, they'd only left Kanto the day before.

Today was the day they'd be moving to Twinleaf Town, in the Sinnoh region. Sinnoh was considerably colder than the Kanto region, and it'd started to show ever since they'd entered the region, but luckily it wasn't anything he'd struggle to get used to.

Twinleaf Town was one of the more rural areas of Sinnoh, with the smallest population in the region. It was quiet, and copious amounts of land surrounded the handful of houses, which was perfect for Ash's mother. She had needed somewhere to expand her breeding program, and whilst she appreciated Professor Oak's help; his mom felt it was time she supported herself.

The large metal door in front of him began to slide upwards, and Ash couldn't help but shiver as the cold air hit him. It was mid November right now, and Sinnoh was clearly showing it, with the snow caking the ground around the van. The familiar, reptilian face of one of the moving machoke grinned at him as it pushed the door fully up and out of the way.

The machoke grunted at him, and Ash nodded, climbing out of the van and taking a better look at his surroundings. The house they'd stopped outside of was much bigger than their one back in Kanto, and the area was considerably less packed as well. Persian slipped out beside him, hissing at the sudden chill which made its fur stand on end.

Ash walked over to the front door of the house, seeing his mother waiting nearby. She began to grin at him as he began to rub his arms to keep the blood circulating.

"I told you to wrap up warm," she teased before unlocking the front door and the two of them walked in. Ash noticed it was just as cold as outside, most likely because no one had switched the heating on. The house looked so empty right now, but Ash had no doubt the moving machoke would change that soon enough.

"I'm pretty sure Ifrit could have lifted the furniture through, but oh well," Delia sighed as she went out the front once again, beginning to direct the machoke on where to place the furniture as they unloaded. Ash shuddered at the thought of his mother's Incineroar transporting the furniture in the house.

They'd most likely be sleeping on ashes tonight if that was the case.

Ash jumped as the lights flickered on overhead, and he felt a breeze spread through the house carrying warm air as the heating was turned on.

Persian slinked past him, stretching out its body as it entered the building. Ash stroked its fur as it walked past, making the feline purr contently.

"You should go explore the town, Ash. I noticed a bunch of children here on the way in," Delia told Ash as she indicated for the machoke to follow her inside carrying a large table. Ash looked outside, shivering as a cold breeze came through the front door once again.

"I'll go another time, it's too cold," Ash mumbled, making his mother sigh. She pointed to the left as a machoke came in carrying a sofa, before staring out the window for a while.

"It may not feel like it now, but eventually I'm sure Twinleaf Town will feel just like Kanto."

Ash stayed silent. He missed the corral, he missed Professor Oak, and he missed Gary even though he could be annoying sometimes.

"Yeah… I know…" Ash said finally, dragging one of his feet across the wooden floor. Delia hummed contently as she waved the machoke over with a TV, placing it down in the corner of the room.

"The regional professor lives in the next town over, Sandgem Town," she began, seeing Ash raise his head and look at her curiously.

"He does the same job as Professor Oak back in Pallet Town, meaning that when you turn eleven-"

"He'll give me a pokemon?" Ash almost yelled in excitement. Delia couldn't help but smile as she watched the boy bounce up and down happily. Ash erupted in shouts of happiness as she nodded, dancing around the room and nearly bumping into one of the machoke.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad in Sinnoh after all.

\- 00 - 00 -

In the quaint settlement of Twinleaf Town, morning sunlight filtered into a small bedroom. Starly chirped loudly as they flew past, and through a small crack in the curtains a young boy could be seen getting ready for the most important day of his life. It had been nearly three years since he had moved to Twinleaf Town and today, Ash Ketchum was about to leave home and begin his travels.

"Ash! Can you come and give me a hand?"

"Yeah just a second!" Ash called back down the stairs as he crammed a set of clothes into his poorly packed bag.

It had been his eleventh birthday nearly a month ago now, and the wait had been torture. Rookies had to wait until the official competitive season had begun before setting out on their journeys, something Barry had moaned about for the past four months to Ash and the rest of their class ever since the hyperactive blonde had become old enough. Now that spring was finally here, they were all free to leave.

Becoming a trainer was a prestigious moment for anyone. Each trainer required a sponsor, and very few people were qualified enough to take up such responsibilities. Ash was just thankful he had passed Professor Rowan's exams with flying colours; with a score that put him in the top three. Without such a good score, he would have been forced to wait another sixth months until he could start his journey in autumn.

The door to his room slowly swung open, revealing a brown haired woman holding a small furry bundle in her arms. Ash smiled at the now-opening eyes of the infant Eevee his mother was holding before meeting her gaze. She had a bright smile on her face as always as she watched him from the doorway.

"Eevee wanted to say goodbye before you left, I thought you'd of finished packing by now," his mother grinned as the bundle of fur in her arms yawned cutely. Ash smiled endearingly at the tiny creature. She had only hatched a few days ago (the very last of her litter) and his mom was eager to let Ash get some hand on experience of what raising a Pokemon from an egg was like.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Ash beamed as he gently picked up the small kit from his mother's arms. Eevee chirped happily as she rubbed her head against Ash's chest.

"Have you packed everything?" Delia asked as she looked around his room, seeing the poorly packed bag lying on the ground. Ash look at her with a sheepish grin as she made her way towards the bag and began repacking it. Ash could've sworn his mother could use the move minimise or something as within seconds his bag was looking a lot less stuffed.

"Hehe, thanks mom," Ash chuckled as she lifted the bag a few times to make sure it wasn't too heavy. She gave him a small smile before gesturing for Ash to hand her back Eevee. The small kit whined softly in protest as Ash handed her back over, but still chirped as Ash rubbed her head one more time.

"I think I over-bought supplies when we went to Sandgem Town last week, there's so many potions in the front pocket I thought it was going to split!" Ash exclaimed as he pushed the pocket slightly just to prove how rock hard it was. Delia laughed and turned towards the door.

"You can never be too prepared when travelling. Didn't I tell you about that one time Ifrit decided to burn half my supplies?"

Ash chuckled and nodded as he recalled the story about his mother's Incineroar. Even back then, the fire type was a handful.

"Anyway, have you decided which starter you want?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "I really couldn't decide until the other day actually…"

He'd been trying to figure out what starter he wanted ever since they came to Sinnoh. It was a tough decision to say the least, as each had their own advantages.

Turtwig was a hardy grass type, found in the deeper sections of Eterna Forest, that could take hits and then retaliate harder. It's hard, earthen shell would only grow more durable as it evolved and Ash could remember watching a couple battles where such endurance had lead Turwtig's final evolution, Torterra, to a well deserved victory. It lacked many of the normal spores and toxins that made grass types so versatile, however.

Piplup was a very durable water type species that could only be found far north of Sinnoh in the waters of Lake Acuity. Their bones were incredibly dense and as it evolved, the blubber on its body would become even thicker; allowing it to soak up many elemental attacks thrown at it with relative ease. But, they were often rarely picked by newer trainers due to them being incredibly prideful, and they often didn't 'play well' with other teammates.

Both of these would make incredible partners to start with, but one stuck out to Ash compared to the rest. He remembered watching it on TV in many a Conference battle, and the Elite Four member, Flint, even had such a Pokemon on his team.

Chimchar, the fire type, could only be found in their nesting grounds around Stark Volcano in the far north-east of Sinnoh. They hit fast, and they hit hard. As it evolved, its ability to dish out debilitating amounts of damage only increased. Watching Flint's own Infernape, Chimchar's final form, in battle only a week before had been what had truly cemented Ash's choice into place.

Flint had been facing off against a challenger, and watching his Infernape shred through her Roserade's defences in blazing glory had been more than enough to convince him. He also had acknowledged the fire type's weaknesses, as such amazing agility had meant the fire type had foregone many of the heavy plates that were common with the other two starters.

"Well, I'm sure whoever you pick will make a fantastic starter!" his mother smiled as she peered back into his room and around the corner, trying to make out the time on his alarm clock.

"You've still got an hour or so before you need to be in Sandgem Town, how about I make you some eggs?" She smiled as Eevee tried to reach her face with one of its tiny paws.

Shouldering his bag, which he was grateful to find wasn't as heavy as he thought, Ash nodded enthusiastically at the thought of having his mother's amazing fry-ups one last time before he set off.

As he walked down the stairs, he could hear the familiar voice of a TV presenter from their TV. His mother was a massive fan of Koukan Talk, having tuned in every morning since their arrival to Sinnoh almost without fail.

From the stairs, he could smell the familiar scent of his mother frying bacon and eggs. He knew he'd miss her cooking. He made his way through the living room, entering the kitchen just in time to see his mother placing everything on their plates.

Ash gratefully took his plate and began to chow down, flipping through a trainer's manual he'd left on the table the previous night. He could almost recite the entire book by heart now, and the book clearly showed its use; with folded pages and a worn cover.

"I remember the time I first gave you that book," his mother began as she smiled fondly at the memory, her eyes fixed on the book beside him, "you passed out in the chair reading it, and for the first week I'm pretty sure it didn't leave your hand!"

Ash snorted as he shovelled another fork of scrambled eggs into his mouth. He finished the entire plate rather quickly, and scanned through a few pages before closing it. A pang of sadness realised it would be the last time he would ever have to read that book. The Pokedex came with a built-in guide for trainers, so it wasn't likely he'd ever need the paper copy ever again.

It was about time for him to leave, and Ash watched as his mother checked over his bag one last time before handing it to him.

"I'm going to miss you so much! Just…stay safe," Delia whispered as she pulled Ash into a hug. Every trainer had to leave home at some point, she had done it herself well over a decade ago now, but that didn't make the experience any easier for parents.

"I'm going to miss you to mom!" Ash shouted as he pulled away, looking over at the clock nearby on the wall.

"You need to get going now if you want to make it to Sandgem Town on time, are you sure you and Barry will be alright on your own?"

"Yeah! It's only a twenty minute walk anyway," Ash reasoned as he started to make his way towards the door. Noticing Ash starting to back up, his mother smiled as she waved goodbye.

"Make sure to come back after you visit Professor Rowan, I want to meet your pokemon before you set off!"

Ash promised he'd return as he took a step outside, smiling to himself. He was finally beginning his journey! The trainer-to-be was greeted by a strong gust of Sinnoh's cold wind as he closed the door behind himself. Winter had already passed, but there were still some snow-covered patches of grass around town. Wrapping his scarf a little tighter around his neck, Ash began making his way towards his friend's house. Barry's house wasn't too far away, and it was easy to spot due to how small Twinleaf Town was. Not that it mattered, he'd walked the path enough times over the past three years to know the route off by heart.

He reached Barry's house in no time, preparing to knock on the door only for it to fly open in front of him. Immediately, a blonde haired boy followed, scrambling outside after shouting a hasty goodbye to whoever was inside.

Barry had moved to Twinleaf Town only a few weeks before Ash, originally hailing from Pastoria City in the south of Sinnoh. His father had recently undertaken a new job, meaning that the entire family had to move. With both of them being new to the area, they had quickly bonded, forming a strong friendship and the two could often be found together wherever they went around Twinleaf.

"Hey Ash, let's get a move on already! I want to be at Jubilife City by the end of the day!" he blurted out before Ash could even greet him.

Barry wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world. He acted, moved and then thought about it later.

"Lead the way Barry," Ash finished as the blonde raced off past him and down the road. Ash went to follow, but Barry then froze in the middle of the street before rushing back, shaking his head.

"Aww shuckle, I forgot something," he groaned as the blonde darted inside. From the porch, Ash could hear objects falling over, and the screaming of Barry's mother telling him to slow down. Taking his chances, Ash stepped inside, making his way to the living room, where Barry's younger sister was reading a picture book. From where he was standing, Ash could see the familiar visage of a playful drampa allowing children to climb onto its back.

"Mommy told him to pack everything last night, and he still left it to this morning," the girl supplied, not taking her eyes off of the image of the drampa playing with the children. Ash couldn't help but grin at the news.

Typical Barry.

Making his way upstairs, Ash found Barry crouched underneath his desk, lobbing books and various items out of his way, occasionally cramming the odd item into his backpack. As usual, it was as if a dragonite had used hurricane through the room, and Ash found himself wading through piles of clothing that hadn't made it into Barry's bag.

"-come on I knew I left that journal around here somewhere, oh there it is," Barry muttered to himself as he stashed a small tatty book into his bag and got up off of the floor. Spotting Ash nearby, he greeted his close friend with a grin before wading through his room to the door.

"I'll be waiting for you outside! If you're late I'll fine you $10 million!" Barry joked as he rushed downstairs. Ash sighed loudly as he heard Barry's mother shout after him angrily. He said goodbye the to clearly infuriated woman before exiting himself. Route 201 wasn't too far away from them now, and with any luck they'd be at Sandgem Town in no time.

Barry was waiting for him just outside of Twinleaf's boundaries, his brow furrowed in annoyance as Ash got closer. He rolled his eyes as Ash took his time getting to him, flaring his nostrils to show off how annoying it was for the blonde.

"You're so slow, haven't I taught you anything since we moved here," Barry complained. His annoyed expression didn't last for long, and it was quickly replaced by a large grin as the blonde's mind drifted off. Ash grinned back and Barry turned towards the rest of Route 201.

Wild pokemon eyed them from the tall grass curiously, and Ash could see many of the common species that made the south west of Sinnoh their home present. A flock of starly eyed them from the trees, and a surskit stared at them curiously before it realised Ash had noticed. The ting water-skating bug hastily scuttled back to the safety of the nearby pond, darting past two lazy bidoof that lounged on the water's edge. The pokemon around Twinleaf Town were quite docile in comparison to the rest of Sinnoh, having gotten used to the small parties of people travelling between Twinleaf and Sandgem Town every day.

Up ahead, Ash could make out the familiar sight of Professor Rowan's laboratory. The outside was bustling with people moving in and out. To his side, Barry perked up as he noticed someone ahead Ash didn't.

"Ahhhhh Dawn, you beat us to it! I knew I shouldn't have waited for Ash!"

Ash glared at the boy, who was rushing towards the lab, nearly knocking into every person on the way. Ash jogged behind him, apologising as much as possible.

Standing just outside the doors to the laboratory was a familiar girl their age with striking blue hair. She was clutching her hand tenderly whilst glaring at Barry.

"Hey! If you do that again I'm gonna fine you!" Barry shouted angrily as he clutched his head, glaring at the blue-haired girl standing next to him.

"Next time don't get into my personal space!" the girl shouted back, meeting Barry's glare. Ash watched the two interact for a moment, before the blue haired girl noticed him and grinned.

"Ash! What took you so long?" the girl beamed as she pulled him into a hug.

Dawn, the blue haired girl, was the daughter of a retired co-ordinator and had been one of Ash's first friends when he'd arrived in Twinleaf Town. She'd quickly welcomed Ash into their class and shown him around for the first two days.

Ash opened his mouth to reply, but instantly their eyes were back on the lab as the doors swung open in front of them. A slender woman, calmly walked outside with a wide smile on her face. Ash took notice of her odd choice of clothing beneath her lab coat as she stepped forward. A foreign brand was plastered across the edge of her white shirt, and Ash caught sight of a small woven Lilligant weaved onto her dark green shorts.

How she was wearing shorts in early March, Ash had no idea.

"Hello!" the scientist greeted warmly, a smile spreading across her face. "You three must be the other new trainers I was told about. My name is Aurea Juniper, and I'm the regional professor of Unova. Follow me and I'll take you to Professor Rowan."

The three of them looked surprised to see a regional professor so far away from her own region, and looked at each other before following the professor inside. This was it, the start of his journey.

Dawn immediately followed after her, growling at Barry as he pushed past excitedly and sprinted into the lab. Professor Juniper watched the blonde race inside, only raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in response, before carrying on walking. Ash rushed forward quickly as the doors began to close behind them, thinking about what the Professor had just said. Were other trainers getting their own pokemon today? Ash assumed it was just the three of them.

They quickly passed through the main lab room, where a large fossil was held suspended in a test tube by liquid. Ash glanced at it briefly, reading from a nearby monitor that it was a shieldon fossil, whatever that was, before having to jog to catch up again as the scientist led the other two in a small room just to the right of the main laboratory.

Inside was a small table that had three pokeballs lined up neatly on it, each of their polished red tops gleaming under the lab lighting. Professor Rowan stood nearby, his face as stoic as what Ash had seen when the man made one of his rare television appearances. The pokemon professor liked to stay out of the public eye, which is why he'd set up his lab in Sandgem Town, far enough away from any huge cities.

Just to the side, Ash noticed another boy leaning against the table looking completely uninterested. Dark-purple hair covered his head whilst stormy grey eyes filled with boredom stared forwards towards the end of the lab, not moving in the slightest.

Professor Juniper smiled, before taking a step back, a nostalgic grin passing across her face. The Unova league actually started a month earlier than Sinnoh's, so Ash figured her own trainers had been sent off in a familiar manner.

Professor Rowan looked up at her, nodding in her direction before directing his attention at the three trainers in front of him. With a loud cough, and a pointed gaze towards the other trainers, eventually there were four trainers standing in front of him.

Ash took the opportunity to glance down the line, seeing Barry bouncing with excitement. Dawn looked slightly nervous, playing with her thumbs as she waited for the Professor to speak. And then, at the far end, was the purple-haired boy who continued to stare forwards, although this time his gaze was firmly on the three pokeballs in front of them.

"Hey, did you forget to put another poke ball on the table or- " Barry began before yelping loudly. Ash took another look down the row to see Dawn looking anywhere but at the blonde beside her whilst Barry hopped around in pain. Professor Rowan looked at the table again, and Ash noticed his stoic expression harden even further.

"I don't believe that was necessary, Miss Berlitz, but yes you are right. I had a surprise visitor this morning with a recommendation from an old friend. Someone I couldn't refuse."

The four trainers looked at each other anxiously. Well, three of them did. The purple-haired boy looked like he'd rather be anywhere else right now than in the room with the rest of them.

"One of you will have to wait for a moment whilst I obtain another suitable pokemon," Professor Rowan explained as the three Twinleaf residents glanced at each other, all of them silently willing one of the others to step back.

The purple-haired boy moved, and Ash breathed out a sigh of relief.

Well, that was until he realised that he'd move forward.

Grasping the pokeball on the far left, the purple-haired boy studied it for a second before pocketing the capsule and walking away. Ash watched the boy with shock at the blatant disrespect he was showing before he disappeared from view, back into Sandgem Town.

Ash glanced between the two adults in the room, wondering what they were going to do. Ash saw Professor Juniper move towards the door with anger clearly present across her face, but Professor Rowan shook his head. Reluctantly, the unovan returned to where she was standing, now watching the remaining three like a hawk.

Ash figured she probably wouldn't let the three of them get away with anything like that.

The three continued to look between each other, before Ash sighed and reluctantly stepped back. He felt a lump of disappointment began to form in his throat as he realised he would have to wait a little longer, but soon quashed it. As long as he got a starter it was fine.

"I'll wait," he mumbled, looking at the ground. Professor Rowan studied him for a few seconds, before nodding. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash noticed Professor Juniper looking at him appraisingly.

"Very well," he began, clearing his throat before continuing. "The pokeball on the left is a chimchar, a fire type, whilst the ball on the right contains a piplup, a water type. They both are amazing choices for your starter pokemon and each of them can become incredibly powerful in any trainer's hands if raised well."

Barry and Dawn looked at each other, before nodding in silent agreement and moving towards the table. Barry grasped the ball on the left, grinning as he released the little fire type, and internally Ash's heart sank as the white light released from the ball began to coalesce. Soon enough, standing in front of them all was a chimchar, who stared up at Barry curiously.

"Awesome! Chimchar and me are gonna be the strongest team out there!" Barry shouted, allowing the chimchar to climb onto his shoulder and jump around happily, both satisfied with their choice.

And then it was Dawn's turn, choosing the ball on the right she released the piplup, who held its head up proudly. Dawn bent down and tried to pat the water type's head, but it squirmed away before squawking in protest. The girl looked disappointed by the water type's reaction, but didn't say anything as she returned the piplup and faced Professor Rowan once more.

"Now that you have received your pokemon, I would like to ask each of you to carry out a task for me," Professor Rowan began.

Professor Rowan pulled three devices out of the bag, handing one to each of them. They were all red, and each had a small camera on the back of it, although Ash was unsure of what for.

"As you are probably aware from your classes, this is a pokedex. It collects detailed information on pokemon, but it's incomplete. Most regions already have the species you can find on their soil well documented, and I'd like to give Sinnoh the same information. But, I'm too old for field work, and most of my assistants are wrapped up in big projects, so I'd like the three of you to collect information on any pokemon you see."

The researcher pressed a button on his computer and Ash nearly dropped his pokedex as it whirred into life, parts of it unfolding to reveal a large black screen.

"They're activated now, so feel free to input your information, they can act as identification when needed as well," Professor Rowan said before gesturing to the door they came through.

"I suggest you both head outside whilst I procure a pokemon for Ash here."

Dawn and Barry looked at each other, grinning widely as they made their way to the door and Ash couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. It was stupid, he realised that, but Ash wished he was out there right now with a chimchar beside him.

Professor Rowan walked away,, and Ash presumed it was to find him a pokemon, so he searched the lab for a chair. Seeing that he was unsure of what to do, Professor Juniper detached herself from the back wall and walked over.

"What made you choose to step back? I know that my own trainers wouldn't of even considered it," Professor Juniper asked the boy as she sat on top of the desk where only a few minutes earlier there had been three pokeballs sitting on top.

Ash stood there for a moment, contemplating how he was going to respond.

"Someone had to do it," Ash supplied eventually. He felt lame just saying that, as if it was the best he could come up with, but Juniper smiled reassuringly at him.

"Well, I don't think any of my trainers this year would have."

A door began to slide open behind them both, and Professor Rowan walked back in.

"Follow me, we're going out the back," Professor Rowan explained as Ash jumped up to follow him. Behind the lab was a massive corral that was the personal property of the professor, where a lot of the lab's own pokemon ran free.

"There's one pokemon out here that I think would be perfect for you to start your journey with. He's been with us for a few months now and he's been eager to leave the laboratory."

In the background, the unovan hummed in agreement, but Ash paid her little attention as he followed Professor Rowan outside.

As the doors were pushed open, Ash's jaw dropped as he looked at the plethora of pokemon

roaming the corral. Starly flocks were nested in nearby trees, and Ash could make out wild pokemon ranging from magikarp to wooper swimming in the nearby pond. Professor Rowan put his fingers to his mouth, letting off a harsh whistle. Immediately, a large orange canine raced up to the elderly man's side. It's fur was occasionally set alight by small embers, but that didn't stop the researcher from stroking it, making it yip happily.

"Arcanine, go grab our newest resident, we've got a new trainer here," Professor Rowan asked the gigantic canine, who bounded away, quickly becoming a blur.

"I got Arcanine when I first travelled the Kanto region, he's been with me for nearly fifty years now," Professor Rowan informed. Ash nodded, unsure of what to say. The three waited in silence for a few minutes before the fire type got back. Professor Rowan smiled as a small, pudgy pokemon followed behind him.

The pokemon screeched curiously as it came over, scratching at the ground as it looked at the two humans curiously. Ash watched as it the red patch on its stomach began to vibrate as it purred, seemingly happy. He looked up at the professor in shock, surely he didn't mean for this pokemon to be his starter?

"Is that a gible?" Ash asked out loud, to which he got a curt nod from Professor Rowan in return. Professor Juniper laughed, taking a step forward and crouching down in front of the dragon. The Unovan held out her hand, and immediately the gible nuzzled into it, purring loudly as it did so.

"He's a special one alright, Gible here was actually found in the Haina Desert of Alola. There's proof that suggest there may actually be a colony of them out there in Ula Ula Island!" Professor Juniper exclaimed and Ash could hear the excitement in the woman's voice as she discussed the potential discovery.

Gible, in fact, were extremely rare and could only be found at select places around the globe. Off the top of his head, Ash could list Sinnoh's 'Wayward Cave' system, Hoenn's Route 111 and another desert in the north of the Kalos region. With such limited availability not many trainers ever caught one, let alone saw one on their travels.

But the species' durability and overwhelming force in battle is what made them stand out from the rest. Their appearances at Conferences had made sure that they were recognised for that.

"Gible's been at my lab for a few months now, and he wants to see the world, something which I can't do for him here in Sandgem Town. Which is why I think he'd be best suited to travelling with you."

Gible looked up at Rowan and screeched loudly, clearly confused. Professor Rowan bent down to the dragon's level and scratched just behind its dorsal fin, making the dragon shake his head. Ash got closer, and the dragon went stiff, his pupils dilating rapidly. Ash nervously took a step back, but Professor Rowan grabbed his arm so he couldn't move away.

"Gible here is just a little unsure right now, relax," Rowan explained as he took Ash's hand and gently guided it over to Gible. Gible's eyes widened as he felt the smaller hand on his dorsal fin, but quickly relaxed as Ash began to stroke him.

Ash felt Professor Rowan pull his hand away, so it was just him stroking the dragon, and he kept at it for a few minutes, turning Gible into a purring pile on the floor.

"He's usually a good judge of character, so if he let you get that close I think I'm entrusting him to a good trainer, and I think it's time you both went out there and explored what Sinnoh has to offer you."

Tears began to blur Ash's vision as he was handed a pokeball with a blue top and red lines running over its surface, a great ball, and looked back at the dragon next to him.

He was ready.

\- - 00 - -

"Gible, the Land Shark Pokemon. Gible live in areas of high geothermal activity in order to maintain their body temperatures. They attack with their jaws, but can be clumsy so they may hurt themselves in the process.

This Gible is male and knows the moves: Tackle, Dragon Rage, Sand Attack and Metal Claw. Its ability is rough skin."

"That's a pretty strong move pool," Dawn commented as she listened to Ash's pokedex. The two of them were currently heading west towards Twinleaf Town, followed shortly by a final stop at Lake Verity before they left Twinleaf for good.

Jubilife City was his short term goal, and Ash was sure they'd get there in no time considering how they could already see Twinleaf Town in the distance. Then again, it was only a mere twenty minute walk between Sandgem Town and Twinleaf, so that probably wasn't a good comparison of distances. Jubilife was at least a few days away from Sandgem Town, so they'd be a while on the road.

Dawn had waited for him outside the lab, and when she'd asked if he'd travel back with her to Twinleaf Town he didn't see any reason to refuse. Apparently Barry had raced off, and that purple haired kid didn't even try to talk to any of them; having already left once he'd grabbed his Turtwig.

"Yeah, I got pretty lucky getting him as a starter," Ash replied, stashing away the pokeball he'd just scanned. Gible didn't feel like walking right now, and Ash didn't mind; it was only their first day on the road after all. He still couldn't believe that he had been gifted a dragon type for his starter!

If her snort was any indicator, Dawn thought that was the understatement of the century, seeing as dragon type pokemon were the rarest type in the known regions.

"You could say that," she sarcastically replied, before the two carried on walking. Dawn's piplup was also in its pokeball, seeing as it's small stubby flippers made it difficult for the water type to keep up. Out of the water, the species weren't known for being particularly agile after all.

Twinleaf Town was in sight within mere minutes of them both leaving Sandgem Town, and Ash could feel the eyes of the local starly flock on them as they walked through Route 201. It was nice to know that at least if they did get too close the two trainers now had a way to protect themselves.

Dawn's house was near the town entrance, and her mother was waiting nearby. It was so clear to Ash that the two were related, with Dawn looking like a spitting image of her mother with their shared blue hair.

"Oh honey! You're back already?" her mother said happily, wrapping her daughter up in a hug and making the young trainer go bright red.

"M-Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Dawn spluttered as she wriggled out of her mother's grasp. The older woman looked slightly put out by this, but immediately perked up when she noticed Ash nearby.

"Ash! It's nice to see you again! But, where's Barry? I thought he'd of been with you both," Dawn's mom questioned. Ash sighed and Dawn scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"Hehe, well you know how hyperactive Barry is. He decided he'd go ahead straight away to Jubilife City."

Dawn's mom nodded in acceptance, having met the energetic blonde a few times herself. Barry certainly left an impression on people.

Dawn took the opportunity to release her piplup, and the water type squeaked loudly upon re-materialising. Dawn's mother looked at the small pokemon for a few seconds before squealing in excitement.

"He's adorable bless him! Dawn you chose so well!"

Dawn gave a weak smile as her mother picked up the water type, much to its obvious disapproval. Piplup squeaked loudly in response, but her mother paid no attention and simply stroked its soft blue plumage. Within minutes the squeaks of disapproval had quietened drastically, leaving behind a content starter pokemon and a baffled Dawn. Piplup had barely let her touch him as of yet.

"So what are your plans? Have you decided on where you want to go?" Her mother asked as she continued to pet piplup in her arms. Dawn shrugged her shoulders so Ash decided to speak up.

"So far all we know is we want to make it to Jubilife as soon as possible. From there, honestly we're not sure," Ash supplied as helpfully as possible. Dawn's mother stood there for a second, contemplating what Ash had said before gently handing piplup back to Dawn. Within seconds, Piplup was squeaking to be put down once more.

"I see… Give me a second," Dawn's mother said, before dipping into her house and leaving the two Twinleaf trainers standing outside.

Piplup gently tapped its fin against Dawn's leg before pointing to its mouth, squawking loudly. Dawn tried to quieten the water type, petting the soft feathers on top of his head as she tried to fish out some snacks for Piplup to eat.

"Need help?" Ash asked as he moved to helped Dawn grab some of her snacks, but the blue haired girl had already grabbed a couple in her hand and begun feeding them to her starter.

"I've got it, thanks anyway," Dawn beamed as she watched her water type eagerly scarf down as many treats as the young pokemon could. The two stopped talking as they noticed Dawn's mother appear once again, holding a small box.

"I figured these might help you get to Jubilife City at the very least. They're a little old, but there's three in there so feel free to give one to Barry when you see him," Dawn's mother said as she gave the box to Dawn, who opened it to reveal three dust-covered maps.

Most maps were out of date by now, due to pokemon rampages massively changing the landscape every time, and the only reliable maps would be those supplied electronically as they'd be constantly updated. But the Lake Verity region of Sinnoh was fairly docile, and the region barely changed at all due to the lack of destructive species that made the area their home. If they were travelling through either the north of Sinnoh, or Mount Coronet it would be a completely different story.

"Thanks mom!" Dawn shouted as she barrelled into her mother, nearly knocking her over with the hug as she did so. Dawn's mother gasped, but quickly recovered and hugged her daughter back.

"I figured they'd be of more use to you both than me," her mother said as she let go of her daughter. Dawn nodded, before her mother started to grin at her.

"Well go on the Ash, introduce me to your pokemon!"

\- - 00 - -

Ash grinned and he pushed the door to his own home open, this time with Gible tagging along by his heels. Dawn chose to wait back at her house, catching up with her mom before she eventually travelled the region. His own mom was sitting in front of the TV when he walked in, Persian contently sitting on her lap as she watched a program Ash didn't recognise.

When Ash walked in, with Gible cocking his head to the side in confusion as Delia squealed in excitement at the sight of the small dragon.

"He's adorable!" Delia cried as she bent down to face the little dragon. Ash noticed how cautious his mother was being around Gible, even though the dragon didn't even come up to her kneecap.

Dragon pokemon were feared back in ancient times for a reason after all, and Ash figured that his mom knew way more about how to handle a dragon than he did. She had raised her own after all.

Gible stared at the woman in front of him for a couple of seconds, before bowing his head slightly and allowing Delia to run her hand over the two bony horns on either side of its head, purring as she did so.

"Have you gotten this close to him yet?" Delia asked, not taking her eyes off of Gible, who had melted into a pile under her scratches. All of a sudden, she had scooped Gible up and she continued to keep scratching him. She was carrying Gible strangely, holding him firmly in order to prevent the dragon slipping in her grasp. Ash wondered if she had somehow switched his own Gible with another, she seemed so at ease with him now. He also took note that she always stroked his scales in the same direction, in very specific places.

The Gible family had evolved to use their scales as a defence mechanism, something which helped counter any physical blows that they received. Ash had read in one of his textbooks a few years before that if he was to rub his hand from a Gible's snout to its tail he would feel an almost unreal quality of smoothness and his hand would simply slide over the scales with no hindrance.

However, if he started from the tail and worked upwards, chances are he wouldn't have much of a hand left to use. When forced upwards, their scales could reveal rough corners and undersides that could easily tear apart the skin when made contact with. It was one of the reasons the Gible family was so hard to take down; there was very little in a battle that could trade physical blows with them and come out on top.

"Professor Rowan helped me at his lab, but apart from that not really," Ash answered honestly. His mom set Gible down again, much to the dragon's annoyance, before gesturing for Ash to get closer.

"You'll get there eventually, Gible seems to be a very easy going pokemon so I don't think it'll take you both too long to warm up to each other," his mom commented as she stroked the area between Gible's horns again. Ash smiled gently at the dragon between the two of them and nodded in agreement.

As Delia stopped again, Gible looked up at her curiously before its onyx eyes settled on Ash. Gible chirped loudly, and Ash hesitantly reached forward.

Gible stared at his new trainer for a little longer, before taking a step forward and lowering his head slightly, allowing Ash to gently place his hand on top of the dragon's head.

He didn't notice it the last time, but Gible's scales were incredibly smooth and Ash couldn't help but run his hand from head to tail of the ground type. He continued for a few more strokes before standing up and taking a step back. Gible looked up at him, screeching curiously.

His mom watched the two interact for a little longer, before coughing gently. Ash knew it was time to go, especially if he wanted to get to Jubilife City in a few days time. Ash turned to her, but before he could say anything his mom had wrapped him up in an ursaring-hug. He flailed his arms slightly as he was slightly crushed, until his mom let him go; gasping for air.

"Now make sure to call me at least once a week! And always make sure to keep an eye on your stuff when you go through big cities, and don't forget to change your under-"

"Alright, alright!" Ash yelled, his cheeks going as red as Gible's underbelly as his mom laughed.

"Stay safe."

Ash could've sworn he saw tears growing in the corners of her eyes as she pushed him out of the door, but she was already inside again before he could check.

His mom had been on her own journey, having travelled both Kanto and the Alola regions before settling down and becoming a full time breeder. Ash was pretty sure she had even done well in one of the leagues at least, having seen the medals she'd pulled down from the loft on the odd occasion. If he could just come close to how well she did on his first year, Ash would be happy.

It wasn't a long walk to Dawn's house, and when he got there she was already waiting outside, Piplup in her arms.

"Mom started getting emotional, so I thought I'd wait outside," Dawn explained, as Piplup chirped in agreement. Ash noted that the water type was a lot more receptive now compared to earlier.

"Yeah, mine was the same," Ash began as a cool breeze spread through Twinleaf, making him shiver. Even after nearly a year of living in Sinnoh he just still wasn't used to it.

"I guess we'd better hit the road, how about we go past Lake Verity on the way?" Ash asked as Dawn pulled out her map. It was a little out of the way when going to Sandgem Town, but at least they could see a couple more species of pokemon there than Route 201.

"Sure, let's do it," Dawn as Ash grinned and nodded. They both wanted to get their journey underway. With that the two rookies set off down the tame path of Route 201 onwards to Lake Verity.

\- - 00 - -

Lake Verity was one of the most secluded locations in all of Sinnoh, and in all honesty it was because there was very little there.

It was home to very few species of pokemon in comparison to the rest of the region, only a few flocks of starly and a colony of bidoof resided nearby apart from the odd other member or two of another species, and considering the closest town was Twinleaf, there weren't exactly any major points of attraction. However, it was said that Lake Verity was home to a powerful guardian, a being that bestowed emotions upon the world.

A powerful guardian that no one had actually ever seen.

So with little reason for anyone to ever go there, Lake Verity had been all but abandoned by civilisation, allowed to overgrow and stay wild. Occasionally a few families stopped by and ate along the shore, but apart from that humans barely travelled there at all.

So when Ash and Dawn found a group of nearly twenty people on the lakefront he was surprised to say the least.

Most of them were hovering around odd bits of strange equipment, instruments he'd never seen before in their hands as they calibrated the devices on the lakefront.

"All results are coming up positive, sir!"

"We've confirmed the position of the underground cavern, should we prepare to enter?"

"No!"

Ash watched as all of the strange people turned around and looked at one person. The boy noticed the person's clothing looked even more strange than the others and his hair was a pale shade of blue.

"Pack up for now, we need to prepare in order to proceed any further," the man ordered, his voice cold and dispassionate. He was clearly the leader of the small group, and the others scrambled around hastily to follow his commands.

"Yes sir!"

The group immediately went to work, clearing up all of their equipment as hastily as they could without damaging any of it.

Silently pulling out his only pokeball, Ash released Gible and the dragon appeared in front of him, curled up on the ground and yawning as he awoke.

The dragon went the shriek a greeting, but Ash held a finger to his lips which made Gible cock its head to the side curiously.

"There's people over there-"

"Hey! Chimchar, let's see if we can catch the Lake Guardian!"

Beside him, Ash heard a loud slap as Dawn facepalmed at the blonde boy who'd appeared on the lakefront, his chimchar cackling loudly on his shoulder. Gible snorted loudly as he heard the trainer enter and curled up back into a ball, not interested in the slightest.

To Ash's surprise, the strangely dressed people didn't even bat an eyelid at the two of them, continuing to pack up and leave until only their leader was left staring out towards the lake.

The pale blue man completely ignored the trainer, who was staring at him curiously, as he watched over the lake.

"...The flowing time…the expanding space… I will make it all mine one day. Until then… sleep whilst you can… legendary Guardian of the Lake…"

And with that, the pale-blue haired man walked towards the lakefront exit, staring curiously at the child blocking the road before walking past them after muttering 'step aside please'.

Ash sighed in relief, stepping out of the bushes into view, making the blonde jump in surprise. Dawn followed moments later, glaring in annoyance at Barry.

"You're here too! If you try and catch the Lake Guardian before me I'll- OOF!"

Dawn slammed her fist into the top of Barry's head, making him fall to the floor; groaning. Dawn huffed at him, before folding her arms and looking away.

"What was that for!" Barry cried as he held his head in pain. Dawn snorted, and Piplup huffed loudly in her arms too. Meanwhile, Barry's chimchar curiously poked his trainer, wondering why the blonde wasn't on his feet.

"For being an idiot, besides, we wanted to explore the lake. I haven't been since we were six, Barry," Dawn added.

"Yeah, we were just checking out the lake," Ash replied. Gible cracked open one of his eyes to study the blonde boy from beside Ash's feet.

"I don't suppose you've seen the Lake-!" Barry's sentence was cut off as a small shadow rushed towards him. Ash tensed and looked around, spotting similarly shaped shadows rushing towards him and Dawn. Gible was now at attention, jumping as high as its stubby legs would allow to intercept the shadow that dive bombed at Ash.

"Chimchar/Piplup!

Ash heard the other two trainers behind him release their own pokemon, but the rookie was more interested in his own opponent that was currently soaring around Gible.

He growled in annoyance as he tried to look up at the pokemon, but his visibility was next to nothing as the sun blinded him. He took out his pokedex and hastily aimed it at the sky.

"Starly, the Starling Pokemon-"

That was all Ash needed to hear as he slammed the pokedex shut and watched as the shadow descended onto the ground. The small bird growled at them angrily before lunging forward at Gible with a tackle attack.

"Tackle it back!"

The dragon snarled angrily as it met the starly head on, sending it sprawling to the ground. The bird slowly regained its footing and stumbled around, dazed by the attack. Ash took the opportunity to look at how Dawn and Barry were holding up.

Barry wasn't doing too badly, Chimchar had managed to burn their attacker using ember, setting fire to its feathers. Now the starly was shrieking loudly as it tried to avoid Chimchar's constant scratches. The blonde stayed fairly quiet, unsure of what commands to give his fire type.

Dawn was struggling slightly, and Ash could see that Piplup was just as hesitant as its trainer. The water type cried out as it was knocked back by the starly ramming into it, sending Piplup sprawling.

"W-water gun!" Dawn stuttered as Piplup got to its feet, firing off a torrent of water that sent the starly flying backwards and tumbling into Lake Verity behind them.

Ash turned his attention back to Gible and growled as he saw the dragon get sent flying from a tackle attack, although his attacker clearly didn't expect to be hurt back as it shrieked loudly. He racked his brain about what he could do before coming up with a solution. Ash raced through Gible's moves before coming up with a solution.

"Dragon rage!" Ash cried out. Gible immediately began to charge a small, compressed ball of raging blue energy between its jaws. The starly noticed this, and tried to take off, but Gible had already let off the attack.

As soon as it left Gible's jaws, the dragon rage surged forward, charring the grass below it from the energy being released. Starly shrieked as the attack connected, charring most of the feathers on its underbelly and sending it straight into the ground, knocked out for certain.

Ash heard a similar cry from Barry's opponent and turned just in time to see the blonde pitch a pokeball towards the downed flying type.

One… two… three… CLICK!

Barry sighed in relief as the pokeball's central button clicked, indicating a successful capture. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw his own starly hop into the nearby undergrowth, retreating back to the safety of the wilds.

The three trainers didn't waste any time in rushing over to their pokemon, spraying them with potions to heal any of the smaller wounds they'd obtained. Ash frowned as he looked over to Dawn's piplup and noticed the large scratches across its face.

"We're going to have to go to a Pokemon Center for that one," Ash noted, and Dawn sighed and slumped in agreement. Piplup looked particularly depressed, but a few treats from Dawn kept the water type cheerful, even with the large claw marks across its face.

Ash looked at Gible, and noticed that the dragon was almost fine, although Ash could see some feathers caught beneath Gible's scales from where Starly had came into contact with him.

"You're a tough little guy," Ash complimented as he went to work, pulling clumps of feathers away from Gible's scales. Gible purred in content, shifting closer so he could climb into Ash's lap as he worked. However, Gible kept one foot on the ground at all times at the very least. Due to being a ground type, the dragon could detect the vibrations given off by anything getting close on the ground.

If they attacked from the sky, the ability was pretty useless, but at least it gave them some sense of security.

A few charred feathers were scattered on the lakefront, and Ash felt a pang of guilt pass through him. The injured starly would take ages to heal from the damage they'd taken, and they didn't seem to have a flock, they were loners.

But considering how they were randomly attacking others like that, Ash wasn't sure how they'd survived that long anyway.

Taking a deep breath and steadying himself, Ash walked over towards the other two with his Gible following closely on his heels.

Barry was dancing on the spot now, holding up the starly's pokeball triumphantly with his Chimchar bouncing alongside him. Ash couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's celebration and his surprise when Chimchar clambered up on his shoulder to then jump around up there.

Dawn looked a little shook from the whole encounter. Whilst Piplup was no longer in pain from the scratches, she was clearly uncomfortable with how hurt the water type had been.

How's Piplup doing?"

Dawn nodded slowly, picking up another treat and feeding it to the injured water type, who greedily scoffed it up.

"He's a little shook, but they're just scratches. I'll get them checked out in Sandgem Town when I can."

It was true, Ash had seen far worse injuries on TV when watching league battles, but they were rookies. Their pokemon weren't used to taking any damage yet, and for their first battles they had come out with a victory.

"Let's get back quickly, the Pokemon Center is pretty close to the lab," Ash suggested, and Dawn nodded, worry clear across her face.

As the trio turned away, Gible stayed behind, looking out over the lake. The dragon's eyes were fixed to a point just above the lake's centre.

Slowly, he watched as a bright light flickered into existence, before floating down to the surface of the water. Gible continued to stare at the bright light as it lazily made circles on the lake before sinking under the waves, until it faded out of sight beneath the dark waters.

"Gible?" Ash called, as he turned and realised the dragon wasn't coming. Gible tore his gaze away from the lake, before grunting loudly and stomping after his trainer.


End file.
